| zeloo777 |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 05:25 AM | Reply with quote #1 |
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Hi. I was wondering if your study of apologetics have challenged your views of your congregation? I am think here, that some Churches are very emotional, and some places even maybe have quite bad theology. Have your studies made you questioning you Church and its theological foundation? Even more specific, have your encounter with reasonable faith made you questioning the theological foundation of your congregation?
Regards |
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| JohnQuin |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 06:33 AM | Reply with quote #2 |
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Don't get me started Grrrrrrrrr |
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| zeloo777 |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 07:43 AM | Reply with quote #3 |
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Please tell me, anyone else? I am very interested in this.  |
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| Archsage |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 07:55 AM | Reply with quote #4 |
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Sadly, I've found that many churches are antagonistic towards apologetics. But I think it's because they are opposed to something that they don't truly understand. While their points are understandable, it is also crippling. Apologetics is mainly for being prepared to give a defense of the faith that you have. Too many Christians, I believe, are unable to do that because they reject apologetics.
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| Raymond1 |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 07:57 AM | Reply with quote #5 |
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Quote: Originally Posted by zeloo777Please tell me, anyone else? I am very interested in this.
As far as my local church- I don't agree with everything they teach- however, like the old adage says:
" the plain things are the main things, the main things are the plain things"
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| JohnQuin |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 08:29 AM | Reply with quote #6 |
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| molonism makes everything better |
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| TheProblemOfAtheism |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 08:31 AM | Reply with quote #7 |
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| My pastor likes apologetics.
I'm working on a way to introduce children to apologetic themes in sunday school. Some kind of sunday school curriculum. |
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| Lawlessone777 |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 11:56 AM | Reply with quote #8 |
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| My pastor likes it, my wife doesn't like apologetics though. She initially told me her concern that studying apologetics would turn your belief in God into less of a religious faith which spread across all aspects of your life, and more into a mere academic interest that doesn't bring with it the wholesomeness of the Holy Spirit.
I actually agreed with her on that and so promised her that I wouldn't focus on, study, or discuss apologetics on weekends or in the evenings so I wouldn't allow it to become a dominant force in my life. Which I why I never post on those times. lol |
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| Sonick92 |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 03:31 PM | Reply with quote #9 |
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Apologetics seems to not exist at my church. I've heard suggestions from my pastors and leaders about which books to read and sites to look at, but they basically have it come down to an individual pursuit. I find that kind of troublesome because you might strike a chord with apologetics study with their doctrines. If we can't all talk and study together, then how will we dialogue these issues without calling each other heretics?
Lawl.... Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your strength, and all your mind. I find apologetics to be a source of worship of God with your mind. I find a deeply religious connection when i learn the rationality behind Christianity. I'd suggest you talk to your wife about this again, because i can't imagine "learning to defend the faith" is not a religious/spiritual event.
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| Lawlessone777 |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 03:39 PM | Reply with quote #10 |
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| It's not the defense of the faith that she's worried about, it's becoming obsessed with the philosophy and science while ignoring the faith and the worship. It means the difference between answering someone who asks about God with: "God is defined as a metaphysically necessary, causally active, intelligent unembodied agent who is aware of, and casually supporting, all points of space and time" versus answering with. "God my lord and saviour."
Her concern isn't with the conversion of the non-believers, or the worship of God with all your mind, but rather replacing worship with academic interest. And that I can completely understand. As much as I would find it interesting to explain to someone how God's handiwork can be seen across the cosmos through the fine tuning of the universal constants and quantities, I should also be spiritual enough as an apologist to also say, "Oh yeah, and God also loves you with all his might." |
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| TheProblemOfAtheism |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 03:57 PM | Reply with quote #11 |
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Quote: Originally Posted by Lawlessone777It's not the defense of the faith that she's worried about, it's becoming obsessed with the philosophy and science while ignoring the faith and the worship. It means the difference between answering someone who asks about God with: "God is defined as a metaphysically necessary, causally active, intelligent unembodied agent who is aware of, and casually supporting, all points of space and time" versus answering with. "God my lord and saviour."
Her concern isn't with the conversion of the non-believers, or the worship of God with all your mind, but rather replacing worship with academic interest. And that I can completely understand. As much as I would find it interesting to explain to someone how God's handiwork can be seen across the cosmos through the fine tuning of the universal constants and quantities, I should also be spiritual enough as an apologist to also say, "Oh yeah, and God also loves you with all his might."
As weird as it sounds that is a legitimate concern. Apologetics is no substitute for a relationship with God, just like running a church or being a worship leader or usher is no substitute for a relationship with God.
I have to watch myself there. |
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| Lawlessone777 |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 04:06 PM | Reply with quote #12 |
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| Yup, it's the difference between loving God, and simply going through the motions. I don't want my relationship with God to be the Kalam Cosmological argument, the Fine Tuning Argument, and the Argument from the impossibility of naturalistic abiogenesis. I want my relationship to be one of love and worship, to feel the holy spirit filling me with God's love, and to look forward down the road of my life and despite the pain I may suffer as a human, know that in the end there will be a time where I can face God and, if I lived my life the way I hope I'm living it, bring a smile to his face. |
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| DEADEYE |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 04:57 PM | Reply with quote #13 |
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Lawlessone777, I don't post much but I'm a constant lurker. I want you to know that your posts encourage me a lot. I often find myself fist pumping in the air when you reply to difficult challenges. Kinda like when my team makes a touchdown LOL. Anyway, I'm new to apologetics and a lot of the jargon goes over my head. Your posts are plain to me. Rostos posts are too.
I started to become overcome by apologetics after reading a couple of books. Then I read the bible again and it set me straight. Just keep that anchor near and you'll be fine.
Thanks again to all of you. |
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| idunno |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 05:11 PM | Reply with quote #14 |
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| Hey there deadeye, here's a good site for apologetics in a number of subjects that's pretty easy to understand |
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| Lawlessone777 |
| Posted 05/31/12 at 05:38 PM | Reply with quote #15 |
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| Nice website idunno, and thank you very much for the kind compliment Deadeye. I'm hoping to teach apologetics one day and I'm happy that I can even unknowingly help someone else in feeling more secure in their belief. |
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